Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1060 - 646: Second Kingdom Exploration, Maya’s Barbarians

Chapter 1060: Chapter 646: Second Kingdom Exploration, Maya’s Barbarians

"No! Disengage, do not engage these tribes!"

The plains were open, with two thousand Maya tribal warriors howling, running, surging as swiftly as a tide. A hundred small canoes flowed downstream, rushing towards the rivermouth. The old militia Chiwaco observed for a few breaths, estimated the imminent battle, and immediately made a decision.

"Signal with the flag, leave the riverbank. Row five miles west, retreat into the near sea!"

Upon hearing this, Puap was slightly taken aback, thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Soon, the retreat flags rose at the bow. The flagship turned first, with over forty rowers exerting themselves simultaneously, rowing desperately, turning swiftly. The remaining six longships followed closely, swiftly rowing into the distance.

The large group of Maya tribal warriors rushed to the shore, only stopping when they saw the seven large ships move away. Dozens of canoes pursued another two or three miles, until they drove the invaders off the coast, then turned back again, patrolling at the rivermouth in vigilance. Hundreds of Maya warriors raised stone spears, waving small shields, mimicking wolf howls, intimidating the kingdom fleet in the near sea. Large groups of stone-throwers and javelin throwers laid out a loose formation, taking high positions, all ready to shoot. Clearly, these Maya tribes were very familiar with combat.

The two sides faced each other across five miles of sea. One side was abuzz and bustling, the other silent and vigilant. Chiwaco squinted his eyes, watching for a long while, but unfortunately, the distance was too far, and he couldn’t see clearly. He thought for a moment, then called over the ship’s best-eyed Shanbird.

"Shanbird, can you see clearly?"

"Yes, Captain."

"What can you see clearly?"

"Opposite, there is a group of armored samurai, surrounding a long-headed divine descendant, who has come to the shore... He raised his head, he is looking at us!"

"Uh!... "

The old militia squinted, looking strenuously for a while, only seeing a blur of people, unable to make out any divine descendant. His vision resolution was roughly one two-thousand-five-hundredth, meaning he could only see about a meter-sized object from five miles away. As for Shanbird’s vision resolution...

"Alright!"

The old militia scratched his head, looked at Tikalo pondering beside him, and asked solemnly.

"Tikalo, which Maya tribe is in this great grassland city? Why did they proactively attack us?"

"Captain Chi, they are the Putun, the fiercest Maya tribe on the Yucatan Peninsula, the barbarians among the Maya. They occupy the banks of the Great Grass River and this vast savanna. They are half agrarian, half hunter-gatherers, frequently moving camps. They know no social distinction, even among the commoners, many tribal warriors emerge."

Tikalo answered seriously, his expression solemn.

"The Great Grass River basin is connected to the Central Basin. After the divine disaster, many divine descendant tribes fled north. The first tribe to follow the Great Grass River and flee here were the Itza, led by the Heavenly Serpent Divine Descendant, from around the divine capital Tikal. Then, the Tutul Xiu people, under the leadership of the Xi Wu family of Snake City, also migrated here, driving away the Itza. The Itza then moved north, conquering Uuc City, which became the predecessor of Chichen Itza. Afterward, the Tutul Xiu moved north and established Uxmal City."

"Both divine descendant tribes shifted their centers of rule but continued to fight over this area. New tribes occasionally appeared here, but none could stand against the two divine descendant tribes... Until hundreds of years ago, the last of the barbaric Putun tribe, over a hundred thousand strong, migrated out of the Central Basin!"

As Tikalo spoke, an expression of barely concealed resentment appeared on his face. It was the instinctive aversion from a Maya divine descendant to the disorder and overturning of social hierarchy.

"These Putun tribes, who knows what they experienced in the basin after the divine disaster. They lost the heritage of divine descendants, the social order completely collapsed, and the knowledge of the divines was lost as well. They couldn’t farm, couldn’t build cities, became a nation of warriors wandering and looting, turning extraordinarily barbaric. Though they were only over a hundred thousand, they could once organize tens of thousands of tribal warriors to attack the civilized Maya city-states, eating anything!... "

"The Tutul Xiu and the Itza were both forced to abandon their towns here, retreating to the northern lowlands. This vast savanna was hence occupied by the Putun. Of course, centuries later, they regained knowledge of farming and building, but did both poorly, still occasionally hunter-gathering."

Hearing these unfamiliar tribal names made Chiwaco a bit dizzy. He rubbed his head, thought for a while, then summarized.

"It seems they are like tribes of the wilderness, very skilled in fighting, but not much else... So, they did not attack us for the Lake Gem on our fleet. They simply attacked any invader they see?"

"Hmm... very likely!"

Tikalo touched his head, nodding in agreement.

"This group of Putun is like a pack of mad dogs and has terrible relations with most Maya tribes. No matter which fleet lands here, they will be attacked by them!"

In fact, it is worth mentioning that the future battle achievements of the Putun tribe also include defeating the Spaniards. Twenty-eight years later, the first Spanish explorer, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, set sail from Cuba with three large ships and discovered the Yucatan Peninsula for the first time. He brought one to two hundred sailors and soldiers, landing first in the north of the peninsula, claiming to be a Divine Messenger, and was warmly welcomed by the local Maya city-states. Then, he sailed along the coastline of the peninsula, heading south, into the heart of Mexico. The villages along the coast, seeing their distinctive divine faces, were very enthusiastic and friendly, actively providing food and water.

Until he landed at the mouth of the large grass river to replenish freshwater, he met the hunting Putun tribe head-on. Over a thousand tribal warriors attacked the Spanish exploration team, directly killing sixty people with stone spears and darts, injuring over a hundred. Explorer Captain Hernández, wearing heavy armor, reportedly suffered 33 spear wounds and was severely injured before escaping back to the ship. The fleet then fled desperately with favorable winds, eventually reaching Florida. Several days later, Hernández, due to his grievous injuries, died near Havana in Cuba.

The second exploration captain to succeed him was Juan de Grijalva. He brought more manpower and made more thorough preparations, landing again at the mouth of the large grass river. The Spanish fleet paid the price of a hundred casualties, killing more than two hundred tribal warriors, and shot dead the leader of the Putun tribe, causing their scatter...

Afterward, came the third captain, Hernan Cortes. The Putun tribe, having suffered a previous loss, gathered thousands of warriors waiting for the Spaniards to come ashore. However, Cortes did not stay there to directly confront the Putun tribe but proceeded forward to directly reach the heart of Mexico. There, he would meet the fate of the Totonac people who devoutly worshipped the Feathered Serpent, the Tlaxcalans eagerly seeking allies, and the internally divided Mexica people whose king was powerless to rule.

Of course, none of this had happened yet. The people of the kingdom fleet could not know, nor even imagine. Mayan merchant Tikalo merely tiptoed, looking at the gathered and unyielding Putun tribal warriors on the shore, and made a suggestion.

"Respected Captain Chiwaco, we can leave here and continue north! One hundred and sixty miles north from the mouth of the large grass river is the Brocade Snake City of the Brocade Snake Clan. The Brocade Snake Clan has trade relations with various tribes, especially friendly with the Canul Family. Our trading group has traded with them many times, and the fleet can dock there for supplies."

"Leaving the river mouth, heading north one hundred and sixty miles, and replenish at Brocade Snake City?"

Chiwaco pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. Caution is his instinct, and he would never engage in meaningless conflicts.

"In that case, we shall..."

"Chief Divine’s protection! Wait a moment, Captain Chiwaco."

Priest Tomate stood at the bow of the ship, observing for a long time, and had some thoughts. This is a primitive and simple Maya tribe, completely different from other cunning Maya city-states that have lost their way! ... With this in mind, he suddenly spoke up, interrupting the old militia’s orders.

"Tikalo, what deity does this Putun tribe worship?"

"Uh... The deity of the Putun tribe?"

Upon hearing this, Tikalo thought hard for a moment and replied uncertainly.

"They seem to have a very chaotic belief system, roaming around and without building large temples. Their divine descendants have probably lost their inheritance and no longer know their clan’s Chief Divine..."

"As expected!"

Priest Tomate clasped his scriptures tightly, a fanatical smile appearing on his face. Seeing this smile, Tikalo’s heart immediately trembled. A sense of foreboding surged within him instantly.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Captain Chiwaco, please give me a small boat! I want to go ashore and plant the seeds of the Chief Divine’s faith in the hearts of their leader!"

"What! You want to go ashore?!"

Hearing this, Chiwaco jumped in shock.

"Priest Tomate, it’s extremely dangerous ashore! The wolves are ready to pounce and bite, and you’re rushing up in the heat of the moment? ... No way!"

"It is possible! The light of the Chief Divine illuminates me! I am under His protection, and I will spread His glory, there will be no mishap!"

Priest Tomate stood tall, eyes shining bright, face full of fearlessness and determination.

"Captain Chiwaco, please send me ashore! I will go alone, without the need for anyone’s accompaniment! ... Oh, no way!"

Priest Tomate paused. He turned his head, pointing to Tikalo, who was filled with terror and retreating repeatedly.

"I still need a good translator...him!"